MNUFC2 scored four unanswered goals and captured a come-from-behind victory against Sporting Kansas City II on Sunday evening at Children’s Mercy Victory Field. The win ensured that the Twos stay alive for playoffs contention.
Early in the match, Sporting Kansas City II Mason Visconti suffered an apparent head injury, causing a nine-minute stoppage in play as he received medical attention. Visconti ultimately was substituted out of the match.
Play re-started in the 12th minute, and the Twos immediately created their first scoring opportunity when MNUFC midfielder Sam Shashoua saw space inside the SKCII box, firing off a shot that sped towards the left post, ultimately being saved by goalkeeper Jacob Molinaro.
Sporting Kansas City II scored the first goal of the match in the 20th minute after receiving a free kick just outside the 18-yard box due to the foul from Devin Padelford. Kamron Habibullah stepped up, taking the shot from the set piece where he found the back of the net past Twos’ goalkeeper Alec Smir.
Three minutes later, SKCII doubled their lead after Beto Avila settled the ball off a throw-in and took a touch inside, slotting the ball through Minnesota’s back line to Maouloune Goumballe who found himself one-versus-one with Smir. Goumballe pulled Smir off his line, taking a touch past him for a wide open shot on goal for the 2-0 lead.
MNUFC2 were able to put themselves on the scoreboard in the fourth minute of stoppage time after first-team defender Hugo Bacharach found a header to goal off Rory O’Driscoll’s cross from the corner. Bacharach, on the six-yard line, headed the ball over the top of Molinaro and into goal.
In the last minute of first-half stoppage time, the Twos leveled the score after Enrique Nieves crossed the ball from the left flank, finding Bacharach on the opposite side. Bacharach headed the ball into the center of the six-yard box where he found teammates Aidan Martinez and Anthony Markanich both making a move for a header to goal. Martinez ultimately connected the header and scored the dramatic first-half equalizer for his second tally of the regular-season.
The game shifted when in the 59th minute, Shane Donovan was shown his second yellow-card caution of the match and ejected when he kicked the ball away after the referee blew his whistle, leaving Sporting Kansas City II with 10 players for the remainder of the game.
Off a corner in the 63rd minute, defender Britton Fischer - who had just come on as a substitute just moments before - connected a header on Shashoua’s service inside the box. Fischer’s header shot screamed towards the goal, forcing Molinaro to make a fingertip save, sending the ball over the crossbar.
Aidan Martinez had two consecutive shots on goal in the 65th minute after he took a close-range shot from the center of the 18-yard box, hitting it straight towards Molinaro. He then found a shot from distance, striking the ball from outside the 18-yard box, aiming for the left corner of goal but once again Molinaro was able to block the shot.
MNUFC2 took the lead in the 75th minute off the counter-attack, Anthony Markanich sent a ball over-the-top, finding Sam Shashoua in the opposition’s half where he took a shot from the right side, tucking the ball into the left corner of the goal.
The Twos doubled their lead in the 89th minute after Darius Randell gained possession from Nieves’s pass to him just on top of the 18-yard box. Randell cut inside of the box and curled the ball into goal, ending the match 4-2 in favor of MNUFC2.
GOALS
0-1 SKCII - Kamron Habibullah (20’)
0-2 SKCII - Maouloune Goumballe, assisted by Beto Avila (23’)
1-2 MNUFC2 - Hugo Bacharach, assisted by Rory O’Driscoll (45’+4’)
2-2 MNUFC2 - Aidan Martinez, assisted by Hugo Bacharach (45’+10’)
3-2 MNUFC2 - Sam Shashoua, assisted by Anthony Markanich (75’)
4-2 MNUFC2 - Darius Randell, assisted by Enrique Nieves (89’)
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
Caution, SKCII - Shane Donovan (15’)
Caution, MNUFC2 - Devin Padelford (18’)
Caution, SKCII - Beto Avila (35’)
Caution, SKCII - Sebastian Cruz (45’+5’)
Ejection, SKCII - Shane Donovan (59’)
Caution, MNUFC2 - Anderson Farris (85’)
Caution, SKCII - Kamron Habibullah (88’)
NOTABLE STATS
2 - MNUFC2 scored its first, first-half stoppage time goals of the MLS NEXT Pro regular season when Hugo Bacharach (45’+4’) and Aidan Martinez (45’+10’) both notched header goals before the halftime whistle was blown.
TEAM LEADERS (Updated through Sept. 22 )
Goals – Patrick Weah (8)
Assists – Britton Fischer (4)
Saves – Alec Smir (26)
Wins – Alec Smir (4)
Shutouts – Clint Irwin (2)
